Came back to sailing camp!
He was a bit apprehensive about the swim test and we practiced quite a bit the weeks preceding…
Sigh of relief that he passed with flying colors!
He was the youngest one and received the “Best Beginner Sailor” award. :)
More pool parties w/ the homeboyz. ;-P
Poolside ’til they’re red, burnt and pruny!
We didn’t have major summer travel plans as Daddy had just started at Apple but since he had to be in Cupertino for a week, we made a trip to the Bay out of it. First time on a plane since the lockdown for Mommy & E.
We checked into our hotel and went over to the Jao’s for dinner. E reunited with C — they’ve “known” each other since birth and we got to meet Valerie!
They go waaaaay back to our yearly meet-ups in the Big D… except they probably don’t remember at all! And then the one time they visited us in SD when E had just broken his two front teeth. ;P
What, Caleb plays Sticks too?
It was the weekend so Daddy didn’t have to go to the office yet so we drove to SF for the day. First stop was the California Academy of Science.
The albino alligator was a sight to see.
Lest we forget, Mommy loves eating these {jellyfish}, haha.
Checked out the new Presidio Tunnel Tops near the Golden Gate. Sadly, it was super foggy so we couldn’t see the bridge that well.
Ever so faint GG beyond… We grabbed food in SF and drove back to San Jose.
Then Monday morning it was off to work for Daddy and time to explore for Mommy & son. We found this amazing little cafe and ended up coming several times while we were there. Both of us appreciated the art, too!
Apple visitor center!
Noted a few things to buy as gifts later with Daddy’s employee discount.
Then we went to HyperSpace in Los Altos. No idea why, but E fell in love with this place! Throughout the trip, he kept nagging to come back. Everything was very clean and new so that was a plus.
Then we walked around the Los Altos town center a bit… Lots of quaint little shops.
We brought back lunch to the hotel, Mommy got a bit of work done while E rested and then in the late afternoon, we were off to Golfland.
The course was not easy but quite creative and different than the one we’re used to in Del Mar.
The ball needs to whirl around that zebra looking circle… E got it but Mommy couldn’t quite get hers to behave after several tries, lol.
Hole in one on this one!
In the evening, Daddy came back and we walked over from our hotel to the shopping area beside us which we had our choice of any imaginable Asian food! Too many bubble tea places to choose from…
The next day, we spent the morning at The Tech Interactive.
Station to build your own robot…
There really was so much to discover and all of the exhibits were very well done!
And yes, a large percentage of patrons were Asian…
Meanwhile, some scenes from Daddy’s side.
He said the food at Caffe Macs was pretty good.
Taiwanese food after hours at Tech Interactive. Yummmmm!
If you know, ya know. ;-)
In the afternoon, we went to the San Jose Flea Market but it was not too happening. Perhaps because it was a weekday?
Finally caught a quick pic even though the street was right outside our hotel.
Walking the colorful hallway to the Children’s Discovery Museum the next day.
Daddy wasn’t concerned when Mommy texted him this photo.
This bowling ball pull is a WORKOUT.
And there’s an outdoor play area, too!
It was “warm” (by SD standards) so back into the A/C we went. Building out our initials…
And to the water room to cool off. :)
Just as we thought we had seen everything, there was another exhibit we had missed (perhaps for the younger crowd?).
Then went back outside…
Model pose, lol.
Not for long!
Bubblessssss. Mommy joined in on the soapy mess.
Hay maze that was way too easy…
We stayed until they closed.
Another day we went to History Park for some, uh, history… ;-)
The park had some reproductions of landmarks, business and homes from the past.
Imagine going to school here!
And then this Viet Museum was right in the middle of it all.
Only one of the buildings was open for us to walk in…
Lunch back at the hotel and so Mommy could reply to some e-mails for work… Being a mompreneur has its pros & cons but used to jobbing while on vacay!
排骨飯 for dinner was it?
Daddy got his fave pork kidney soup and yes, that’s orh jian in the background.
Went to the mall to check out their “Legoland”… a bit lame compared to ours.
But they had his nameplate!!!
A single matcha truffle. :)
Acai bowls around the area.
Along w/ turmeric milk… Yes, Mommy is into that stuff!
Back @ our fave cafe. :))
Checked out the San Pedro Square Market in the AM.
Lotsa cool little eateries but it was a bit early so a lot of them were just getting ready to open.
Then to the mall for chocolate and…
Comics! This store was HUGE!
Interesting donkey display. Now what does that have to do w/ sunglasses, hrmmm?
This was the chocolate we brought back from the mall and our hearts were won over!
Douhua and tofu!
Apple visitor center rooftop after buying a few gifts w/ Daddy’s discount.
Then a snack @ the cafe…
Checking out the Apple bikes for rent… reminded us of the UBikes in TW.
Then we introduced Daddy to HyperSpace. ;-P E loved it as much as the 1st time.
Stumbled across the most amazing GF bakery around the corner… How could we have missed it when we were here?
This cheesecake was heavenly!
Then we drove around in Atherton (most expensive zip code in the U.S.) to look @ all the tech giants’ houses… And grabbed Singaporean food to go in Palo Alto. Daddy talked up a storm w/ the owner’s nephew who was about to go to the army in SG.
On our last day, we spent the morning at the Saratoga Farmer’s Market. The peaches in NorCal were just divine!
Some Asian inspired veggies were spotted… like bitter melon.
Beautiful orchids. The market wasn’t as extensive as our Little Italy one in SD but there were some unique items and we enjoyed browsing and sampling.
Our flight wasn’t until the evening so we had initially planned on checking out Santa Cruz afterwards but traffic into the area derailed us and we went to Pacifica instead.
It was brrrr cold! Got hot coffee/tea @ the teeniest coffee shop and drove to an old castle. Couldn’t go in, though. :(
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a shop called Predatory Plants to look at Venus Flytraps for our new home (we promised E one) and succulents for our next garden.
Stopped for some vistas along the way, then grabbed our stored luggage and off to the airport for our flight home. Pretty sure we’ll be back in the Bay sometime when Daddy might have meetings… ‘Til then, back to summer in SD. :)
Caught mama deer and baby deer July 4th morn!
Last year to catch these fireworks from our bedroom window as we’ll be moving to another house in the fall/winter. Details to come…
Will miss this view and the mountains but also excited to be close to other things.
To coax a butterfly…
Or just let him fly?
These two Dipper (a la Gravity Falls) wannabes!
Summer is for sweets and boba?
E is starting to love poke.
All the juiciest peaches, please!
Apple workshop.
Presenting his comic…
Speaking of Apple, we are off to Cupertino for a week. Dad works while Mommy and E play. :)) But then work is play for dad so it’s all good, right?